Meet the Candidates

Seven chefs from across the U.S. will take the 2012 Certified Master
Chef® exam, sponsored by McCormick For Chefs, at The Culinary
Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y., Aug. 4–11. Those who pass
will be announced Aug. 11 at a special ceremony following the exam. The
candidates are:

Ryan Baxter, CEC®, joined the Kraft Foodservice culinary
team in Chicago in May 2011 as senior executive research and development
chef. He works to develop menu solutions for national restaurant chains
and other customers. Before joining Kraft, he worked as culinary
innovation leader for Cargill Inc. from 2008 to 2011 and was director of
culinary for Cargill’s Dressings, Sauces and Oils Division from
2004 to 2008. He returned to his alma mater, The Culinary Institute of
America, Hyde Park, N.Y., as an associate professor in culinary arts
from 1996 to 2004. During his tenure, he provided culinary training to
U.S. Navy culinary specialists at the White House, Washington, D.C.
Baxter was the recipient of the Marc Sarrazin Cup (CIA Team), Salon of
Culinary Arts, New York, 1997 and 2000, as team manager. He was the
CIA’s 2003 Faculty Member of the Year, and received
Cargill’s Everest Award in 2006 and Summit Award in 2011. He is a
Certified Hospitality Educator. He resides in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and
is a member of ACF Palm Beach County Chefs Association.

David Daniot, CEC®, has been executive chef at Edgewood
Country Club, Commerce, Mich., since 1998. Prior to Edgewood, he worked
at a number of private clubs, restaurants and hotels in Detroit area.
Daniot first received his culinary “education” at age 13 in
his father’s kitchen at the Detroit Boat Club on Belle Isle,
prepping and washing dishes. He studied culinary arts at Macomb
Community College, Warren, Mich., and earned bachelor’s degrees
from Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Mich., in business
management and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in culinary management.
Daniot has won more than 15 ACF medals and was named the 2008 ACF
Central Region’s Chef of the Year. He also serves as a part-time
chef instructor and competition team coach at the Art Institute of
Michigan’s International Culinary School, Detroit. He resides in
Harrison Township, Mich., and is a member of ACF Michigan Chefs de
Cuisine Association.

Jason Hall, CEC®, earned an associate degree from
Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts, Pittsburgh, in 1995. His career
has taken him throughout the United States, from Akron, Ohio, at Portage
Country Club to Napa Valley, Calif., and to Wilmington, N.C., where he
worked as executive chef at Café Sonoma. Hall has also worked as
executive chef at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, Myrtle Beach, S.C. In
2006, he became executive chef at Hammock Dunes Club, Palm Coast, Fla.,
a Platinum Club of America. Hall regularly competes in a variety of
professional competitions and holds more than 15 ACF medals. Through the
club, he works with many charitable organizations, including Habitat for
Humanity, James F. Holland Foundation, Susan G. Komen for the
Cure®, Flagler County Education Foundation and Feed Flagler. In
addition, Hall is an ACF-approved certification evaluator and conducts
certification evaluations at First Coast Technical College, St.
Augustine, Fla., where he served at the 2007 student team’s
cold-food assistant coach. He resides in Palm Coast and is a member of
ACF St. Augustine Chapter.

Paul Kampff, CEC®, is executive chef at St. Louis Country
Club, St. Louis, where he has worked for the past 10 years. In the early
1980s, he apprenticed in Ireland and Europe, and later worked in
Germany, Israel, Great Britain and Ireland in five-star, deluxe hotels
and Michelin-starred establishments. Kampff previously served as
executive sous chef at Sheen Falls Lodge, County Kerry, Ireland, and was
awarded a Michelin star while he was there. He came to the U.S. in 1994,
and worked for Aidan Murphy, CMC, AAC, at Old Warson Country Club, St.
Louis. Kampff went on to serve in various executive chef positions at
University Club, St. Louis; Kenwood Country Club, Cincinnati; and St.
Albans Country Club, St. Louis. He is an avid competitor, having won
many gold medals, and is also coach to junior culinary teams. Kampff was
named Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis Inc.’s 2009 Chef
of the Year, and is also the recipient of an ACF national
President’s Medallion. He resides in Saint Charles, Mo., and is a
member of Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis Inc.

Shawn Loving, CEC®, AAC®, is a 1991 alumnus of
Schoolcraft College’s culinary arts program, Livonia, Mich., and
has served as department chair and an instructor since 2007. He began
his career in several Michigan restaurants, including Salvatore
Scallopini, Detroit; Radisson Hotel Pontchartrain, Detroit; Franklin
Hills Country Club, Franklin, Mich.; and Les Auteurs/Madison’s,
Royal Oak, Mich.; before becoming a chef for The Walt Disney Company and
Epcot, Orlando, Fla.; and EuroDisney, Marne-la-Vallé, France.
Loving also worked as corporate executive chef at Race Rock
International, Orlando, and as proprietor and chef at Loving Spoonful,
Farmington Hills, Mich. In addition, Loving was personal chef for the
Detroit Pistons’ Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups, and was
the contracted in-flight caterer for the team. In 2008, he was selected
as the executive chef for the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Olympic
Basketball Teams during the Olympics in Beijing; however he declined the
position for the 2012 Olympics in London to take the CMC exam. Loving
has won numerous awards and medals from the American Culinary
Federation. He resides in Farmington, Mich., and is a member of ACF
Michigan Chefs de Cuisine Association.

Alan Neace Sr., CEC®, AAC®, at Midwest Culinary
Institute at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College,
Cincinnati, instructs capstone courses, develops curriculum and coaches
and manages the school’s student culinary competition team, which
has won numerous medals. He earned an associate degree in applied
business from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, and a
bachelor’s degree in business management from Franklin University,
Columbus, Ohio. Neace has led several properties as executive chef,
including J. Thomas Catering Inc., Cincinnati; Coldstream Country Club,
Cincinnati; and Hilton Hotels Corporation. Neace has amassed more than
30 ACF-sanctioned national and World Association of Chefs Societies
international culinary competition medals, including medals at
Hotelympia, London, and the IKA, or “culinary Olympics” in
Erfurt, Germany. Neace was inducted into the American Academy of Chefs,
ACF’s honor society, in 2006. He resides in Florence, Ky., and is
a member an ACF member of the Midwest Culinary Institute Faculty.

John Thompson, CEC®, joined the Audubon Country Club,
Naples, Fla., as executive chef in 2011 and is responsible for
overseeing culinary operations to include menu development, quality
control, culinary staff recruitment and training, as well as instilling
five-star standards at all of the club’s dining selections and
special events. In addition, he keeps his membership stimulated with an
ever-changing selection of choices in the club’s menus, and his
staff passionate with culinary competitions and cooking demonstrations.
After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park,
N.Y., in 1992, Thompson held various positions at distinguished hotels,
clubs and restaurants in the Virgin Islands, Texas, South Carolina and
Minnesota. As such, he has developed a deep appreciation for the
diversity and cultural richness of the foods of these regions. He
resides in Naples and is a member of ACF Caxambas Chapter of Naples
& Marco Island.